Politics: Critical Race Theory

American conservatives have gone nuts over critical race theory. They have raged at school boards even though those schools do not teach critical race theory. 

Irrationality reigns. What I am about to do - appeal to the reason of the unreasonable - is probably foolish, a waste of what time is left me. But to deny American racism seems a greater foolishness. To deny history smacks of George Orwell's 1984. It is cowardly to bully schools into rewriting history. Why do these conservatives deny the facts of American history? Denial negates any attempt to fixing the problems in American society caused by our racism. Why do these people wish to continue their racist ways?

The following quotes, probably too long, come from David Miguel Gray's Critical race theory: What it is and what it isn’t: 

Critical race theory is a field of intellectual inquiry that demonstrates the legal codification of racism in America.

Through the study of law and U.S. history, it attempts to reveal how racial oppression shaped the legal fabric of the U.S. Critical race theory is traditionally less concerned with how racism manifests itself in interactions with individuals and more concerned with how racism has been, and is, codified into the law.

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Here are sections from identical legislation in Oklahoma and Tennessee that propose to ban the teaching of these concepts. As a philosopher of race and racism, I can safely say that critical race theory does not assert the following:

(1) One race or sex is inherently superior to another race or sex;

(2) An individual, by virtue of the individual’s race or sex, is inherently privileged, racist, sexist, or oppressive, whether consciously or subconsciously;

(3) An individual should be discriminated against or receive adverse treatment because of the individual’s race or sex; 

(4) An individual’s moral character is determined by the individual’s race or sex;

(5) An individual, by virtue of the individual’s race or sex, bears responsibility for actions committed in the past by other members of the same race or sex;

(6) An individual should feel discomfort, guilt, anguish, or another form of psychological distress solely because of the individual’s race or sex.

Time for us to change. To be better than we were. For America to be as great as we have told ourselves it is.

sch

12/29/21